Diary Entry 1 Date: June 19, 2025 (Age 26)
Today, I just feel… restless. Like there’s a hum inside me that doesn’t quite match the quiet of the house. Mama and Daddy, bless their hearts, are sleeping soundly. They’re simple folks, older when they had me, high school graduates, and they raised me with all the love and teachings they knew, straight from the Good Book. And I’ve tried to live by it, truly. I teach second grade at Creek Hunt Elementary in Alabama, and those sweet faces usually fill me up. But lately, there’s this ache, this empty space inside me that even a good day with my students can’t quite touch. It’s like waiting for something, but I don’t know what. Today, out in the garden, watching a bumblebee drift from one flower to the next, a tiny whisper inside me asked, “Is this all there is?” It wasn’t a mean whisper, just… something else. And it made my heart flutter with a strange mix of fear and excitement.
Diary Entry 2 Date: August 5, 2025 (Age 26)
I went to the public library today, not for a romance novel like usual. My feet just… took me to the non-fiction section. I found a book about stars and planets, and another about rocks. Mama would shake her head and say, “The Lord made them, no need to understand every speck.” But something in me just had to know. The pictures of Jupiter, all swirly and grand, made my stomach feel fluttery, like I was falling through space. And reading about how mountains aren’t just sitting still but grow and change over millions of years, like slow-motion dancing… it’s almost too big to think about. My head hurts a little, but it’s a good hurt. Like something new is stretching inside, and the world is suddenly much bigger than our little town. I can’t stop looking up at the night sky now.
Diary Entry 3 Date: October 20, 2025 (Age 26)
Had a long, uneasy talk with my cousin Billy today about some new families moving into our neighborhood, from places with different names. He was saying things that felt… wrong, full of quick judgments about folks he didn’t even know. Later, I thought about those stars in the book, how different they all are, yet they hang together in the same sky. And the rocks, they don’t care if you’re rich or poor, or what language you speak. It hit me that maybe Mama and Daddy’s way, bless their hearts, was just what they knew, not the only way the world works. My heart feels a little ache for that old way of thinking, but also a new kind of wide-open space. Like I’m seeing colors I never noticed before, and they’re some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen :)
Diary Entry 4 Date: February 10, 2026 (Age 27)
I started looking up “mindfulness” after hearing a lady on a podcast talk about it. It sounded a little strange – just sitting and breathing. But I tried it for five minutes. Just focused on my breath, the way the air felt going in and out. And for those five minutes, my mind wasn’t racing, wasn’t worrying about report cards or what Aunt Sally thinks. It was just… calm. Like finding a quiet pond in the middle of a noisy forest. It felt good. Really good. My eyebrows are probably still raised from surprise, but I brought some of that quiet to my classroom today. Instead of rushing between subjects, I paused, had the kids just look at their pencils for a moment. They thought it was funny, but the room felt a little calmer, too.
Diary Entry 5 Date: June 1, 2026 (Age 27)
Been reading about plate tectonics. Did you know the whole Earth is like a giant puzzle with pieces always moving, crashing, and grinding against each other? It’s why we have mountains and earthquakes! My mind just keeps blowing open. Mama says, “The Earth is firm and fixed.” But science says it’s alive, always shifting. And it made me think about our town, about the different families moving in, like the new ones from other states, or those from other countries. It’s like our neighborhood’s own “tectonic plates” are shifting, bringing new ideas, new cultures, new ways of being. It’s messy sometimes, yes, like a little earthquake, but it also creates new landscapes, new possibilities. It’s like life on Earth is showing me how change is natural, even beautiful. My brain feels bigger today, like a balloon slowly filling with air, ready to float.
Diary Entry 6 Date: September 15, 2026 (Age 27)
I’ve moved from just “mindfulness” to trying proper meditation. Kaitlin, my best friend, looked at me like I grew another head when I told her. “You? Sitting still?” she laughed. But I’ve been practicing short sessions, just 15 minutes. It’s hard to quiet the mind, but when I do, I get these moments of deep clarity. And sometimes, I get a feeling, like a nudge from the universe. Last week, I had a sudden strong urge to look up “meditation retreats near me.” A beautiful little place, just a weekend away, popped right up. It felt like a sign, a little guiding hand. I only told Kaitlin, who rolled her eyes but promised to keep my secret. I’m excited.
Diary Entry 7 Date: January 5, 2027 (Age 28)
The meditation retreat was… profound. I can’t even put it all into words yet. It felt like shedding old skins, like the Earth shedding its layers. I came back feeling so much more centered. And it’s affecting my teaching! I find myself pausing more, truly seeing each child, not just the whole class. Yesterday, little Timmy was having a hard time with math, usually I’d get a bit frustrated, but I just took a breath, remembered my own quiet space, and found a different way to explain it. He got it! And the energy in the classroom felt calmer, too. It’s like my inner peace is rippling out. It’s a strange, wonderful synchronicity, seeing how my inner world changes my outer one.
Diary Entry 8 Date: May 22, 2027 (Age 28)
Daddy got sick this past month. It was scary. We prayed, of course, but I also found myself looking up his symptoms, asking the doctor specific questions about his medicine, understanding what they were saying about his blood work. Dr. Davies, bless her heart, is usually very by-the-book. But when I asked her about the interconnectedness of systems in the body, comparing it to how a forest ecosystem works, her eyes actually lit up. She became more open, explaining things not just medically, but almost philosophically. We had a truly insightful conversation about the body’s incredible ability to heal. There was a comfort in knowing, in asking, in learning. And Daddy got better.
Diary Entry 9 Date: October 1, 2027 (Age 28)
Mama cornered me today, after church. “Susan,” she said, her voice tight, “you’re changing. All this ‘mindfulness’ and ‘Earth science’ talk… it sounds like you’re losing your way. God’s way.” There was a coldness in her eyes I haven’t seen before, a sort of disdain for my new thoughts. It hurt, truly. But later that night, I had the most vivid dream: a magnificent tiger, with emerald eyes, walked right up to me, silent and powerful, and then just looked at me, like it had a message. I woke up wondering what on Earth it meant. And then, this morning, at school assembly, Principal Thompson announced they’re thinking of changing our school mascot… to a tiger! I almost dropped my coffee cup. It’s like the universe is giving me a wink, showing me I’m on the right path, even when others question it. My heart is pounding, but with excitement.
Diary Entry 10 Date: March 15, 2028 (Age 29)
That tiger dream, that school mascot news – it wasn’t just a coincidence. I truly feel like life on Earth is guiding me now, nudging me towards bigger horizons. I’ve decided: I’m spending my summer break in Thailand. Just me. Kaitlin thinks I’m crazy, but she also sees the light in my eyes. I’ve always wanted to see the world, but it felt impossible before. Now, it feels like the next necessary step. I want to experience new cultures, see different ways of living, and delve deeper into Eastern mindfulness practices. I’m excited, and a little nervous, but mostly… peaceful. This feels like exactly what I’m meant to do.
Diary Entry 11 Date: July 2, 2028 (Age 29)
Thailand. Oh, Thailand! It’s even more vibrant and soul-stirring than I imagined. The colors, the smells of spices and jasmine, the quiet dignity of the people, the ancient temples nestled in lush green. I’ve learned so much about patience, about acceptance, about finding beauty in every moment. I spent time at a meditation center, deeper than the weekend retreat, truly immersing myself. It’s like I shed another layer of who I thought I was, and found more of who I truly am. My teaching feels transformed, too. I’m planning to bring so much of this sense of global connection and mindful presence into my classroom next year. The children are going to love it! My skin feels sun-kissed and my spirit feels absolutely free.
Diary Entry 12 Date: November 1, 2028 (Age 29)
It’s been three years since that first little whisper in the garden, and what a journey! Mama still worries sometimes, says I’m “too worldly” now, but I just smile and hug her. I understand her fear, but I also know my truth. I found my own “church” in the quiet hum of existence, in the vastness of the cosmos, in the understanding of how every single thing and person is connected. My mind is filled with a joyful hunger for knowledge, whether it’s about Earth’s ancient past, the science of our bodies, or the simple power of being truly present.
And now, for the next adventure! I’ve decided to start a podcast. Just a little one, for now. I want to share this journey, these incredible insights, how I’ve found happiness by opening my mind, by embracing wisdom and the wonders of earth sciences, by practicing mindfulness and meditation, and by learning to think in a truly non-prejudiced way. It’s called “Susan’s Wider Skies.” I want to talk about how the big shifts in the Earth are like the shifts in our neighborhoods, and how even a simple dream can be the universe guiding you. It’s all connected. My heart is truly, deeply content, ready to share this boundless world. I can feel a soft, knowing smile on my lips, eager for the next synchronicity.
